Drivers could face £100 fine for flouting smart motorway rules

Motorists could be fined £100 if they are caught travelling in a closed lane on smart motorways.

Highways England is planning to introduce the fixed penalties for those who travel in lanes marked with a ‘x’ from overhead gantries, The Times has reported. Part of the M3 has been converted into a smart motorway, and there are plans to change 15 miles of the M27 into four lanes. The aim of the fines would be to stop drivers using closed lanes when there has been an incident, and part of the road is shut off to allow emergency vehicles to quickly gain access.

Smart motorways use technology to actively manage the flow of traffic, with a regional control centre changing speed limits according to the number of vehicles on the road. The speed limits are shown on the overhead gantries above the road. According to The Times, fines and penalty points could come into force next year. The £244 million scheme for the M27 would alter the road from junction 4 at the M3 interchange to junction 11 at Fareham.

But although a start date of next March had been embarked, the project may have to be delayed until 2019.